The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea and given the cultivar name ‘Secret Love’. Echinacea is in the family Asteraceae. This new cultivar is a fifth generation seeding originating from a planned breeding program using Echinacea paradoxa (an unpatented plant) as the seed parent in the original cross and Echinacea purpurea ‘Ruby Giant’ (an unpatented plant) as the pollen parent. The exact parents of this selection are unknown, unnamed, proprietary plants.
Compared to Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,022), the new cultivar has inflorescences that are red rather than orangey red. The new cultivar has a shorter habit and the inflorescences are smaller with shorter and tighter disc florets.
Compared to the photo of Echinacea ‘Eccentric’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,979) viewed online, the new cultivar has shorter ray florets.
Compared to Echinacea ‘Cinnamon Cupcake’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/573,341), the new cultivar is taller.
This new Echinacea cultivar is distinguished by:                1. enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence,        2. red disc and ray florets,        3. a medium sized, mounding habit with good stem count and branching, and        4. excellent vigor        
This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.